Three Days Until Dawn
by jl4223
Summary: After the events of the "Avengers," Loki is taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. cell deep underground where he waits for Thor to take him back to Asgard to stand trial. But the god of mischief is never without a plan... (Part 1 of 2 leading from the "Avengers," and ultimately past "Thor: The Dark World," this short story is a mix of the Marvel version of Loki and Norse mythology)
1. Chapter 1- Loki

I despise cages. They were made for animals, not for gods. And certainly not for me.

Thor stood in front of my deplorable cell somewhere away from what passes as mortal civilization deep under Midgard. The cell's invisible barrier was enhanced by portions of Asgardian technology, no doubt stemming from Thor's incessant meddling in human affairs.

Their beloved demigod of Thunder.

I could do _so_ much better.

The bearded oaf now stood in front of my prison, hands crossed over his excessive chest. I could almost smell the stench of self-righteousness oozing from his pores.

"I am to assist the Avengers in New York this night," he stated. His voice sounded like two crumbling boulders clamoring for space inside that thick neck. Every word dripped with duty and honor. It was sickening. "When I have completed my task, we are to return to Asgard where you will stand trial. All-father wants to hear of these events from your lips…"

"Yes, I'm sure he does." I smirked. "By all means, send me back to Asgard to stand trial. And when Odin asks for your eye-witness account, do make sure to tell him about the thousands of souls I reaped for Hel in this overpopulated cesspool of a world." I leaned forward, lowering my voice to a whisper. "Spare no detail on all the lamentations of the women and children _you couldn't save_."

Thor winced and left.

Well, I was never one for regrets.

All I had to occupy my time until his return were my thoughts, which were my only company in this tedious place, unless you counted the rows of Kree Warriors bound inside cells larger than my own and a single odd human male who sat for hours without moving, his eyes closed as if in prayer.

I hoped he was praying to me.

I spent the next few hours observing my fellow prisoners, and decided that I truly was a god among men.

Alone.

Without any hope of escape.

The barrier around my cage was woven with enchantments so powerful that even touching it caused me pain. I attempted to use magic to weaken the bonds, but something inside this infernal prison blocked me from doing so. The slightest attempt on my part to perform even a simple spell, and my head throbbed in protest. So much for the hope of human error in duplicating Asgardian technology. I could only hope to win my freedom from the stupidity of whichever jailer visited me first.

As it turned out, she came that very night.


	2. Chapter 2- Loki

The thick security door opened, and I heard the riotous screams of the Kree as a human female stepped inside our prison. I watched as she closed the door, securing it by a badge with her likeness draped against her chest.

In her hands she held one tray, which she took immediately to the human male still sitting in his meditative state. With the press of several buttons along a metallic keypad, a thin door opened. She slid the tray into the slot, and closed it again. It didn't escape my notice that, due to the nature of the design, the barriers remained in place.

My eyes followed her as she completed her menial task of giving food to the Kree without flinching. I silently applauded her courage in front of their cages, though her hand did drop to the side that housed her weapon when several Kree howled at her approach. It took her a good thirty minutes to give sustenance to my fellow captives. I was apparently last on her list. By the time she came with my food, I was famished and bored and just sullen enough to engage her.

She came toward me, and in a flash I was off of my hard cot and in front of her. I normally don't waste my breath communicating with humans unless there's an obvious means to an end. But in this sterile cell, with nothing else to amuse me, I made an exception.

Just this once, of course.

The girl blinked and took one small step back, but otherwise didn't show any sign of anxiety at my supernatural speed.

"What is on the menu for tonight?" I asked. "A succulent cut of meat, perhaps?"

"Tuna casserole." Her eyes trailed over my face, assessing my wounds.

I saw pity there and felt my rage rise to the surface. "See something you like?" I smirked as I gazed down my nose at her.

"Not really. Need a Band-Aid?"

I had no idea what she was talking about and wasn't about to confess my ignorance. "Where's Thor?"

"In New York cleaning up your mess, probably spending time with Jane."

How pathetically predictable. "When will he be taking me away from this vile place?"

A smile tugged at her lips as her eyes trailed over my meager accommodations. "Bored already?"

I had been talking about Midgard, not my cell, but no matter. "Why?" I snapped back. "Are you offering yourself as entertainment?" I gazed down at the badge around her neck. It said "C. Jinn." It wasn't her full name, but knowing even a portion of it gave me some power over her.

"C. Jinn," I whispered, taking another step forward.

She swallowed hard and stepped back.

"As a god, I've come to Midgard many times and sampled women like you." I spoke tenderly but my eyes raked flames over her body. "Over and over again."

She shrugged, as if the compliment I'd just paid her meant nothing. "All men think they're gods in bed." Her eyes passed over me and she smirked. "The only thing I was going to offer was some books."

I smiled. Given time this C. Jinn could grow on me. I'd always wanted a pet. "What kind of books are you offering?"

"Can you read English?"

I gave her a thorough look of disgust.

She didn't seem bothered. "What do you like to read?"

"I'm quite fond of Machiavelli."

"You would be."

There was a guttural scream from the Kree warriors housed across the aisle from my cage. Jinn looked up at them and shuddered.

"Not a fan of the Kree?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"This particular breed of them is responsible for a military campaign that split apart one of lesser worlds in the Nine Realms." I took a step closer to her until I was almost against that wretched barrier, but her eyes stayed fixed on the Kree. "They are especially fond of raping women before tearing them apart."

Her head whipped around to me. "Stop it." Her eyes were angry slits.

"Stop what?" I said innocently.

"Trying to scare me. It won't work."

"Every woman is afraid of rape."

"Been there, done that. Is that the best you can do to intimidate me?"

"If I was attempting to truly intimidate you, I could do far better."

In the cell at the far end of the room, that odd human male actually stood. He stretched and turned his back on us.

She saw me looking at the man and nodded to him. "That's Jason. Professor Xavier sent him to S.H.I.E.L.D. for containment."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.? Is that who is holding me?" I leaned forward, putting myself at eye level with her. I expected her to back away, especially after our previous conversation, but instead she held her ground. "Those simpleton agents who couldn't contain me within their flying machine think they can hold me here?"

"You're not in a Helicarrier now, and we're your gate keepers on the ground." She grinned. "So, who's the simpleton now?"

I couldn't help but smile at that. Not at her feeble attempt at a retort, of course, but at her strength of will. No matter how hard I tried to rouse the emotions of fear or anger, she wouldn't give me the satisfaction of watching them control her.

I strolled a few steps to the right, then the left, my eyes never leaving the invisible barrier. "Humankind couldn't hope to repress my powers, or those of my comrades, should we escape." I nodded to the cells around me. "If I were you, I would say a prayer that we never gain our freedom."

She arched a delicate eyebrow. "The Kree don't have magic, just brute force, but Jason…" Her voice fell away.

"And what are his gifts, pray tell?" I asked gently.

"He likes to go inside someone's mind and… play."

My kind of creature. I smiled, bowing my head ever-so-slightly in homage to a compatriot in chaos. "I'm sure you're thankful that his power is contained."

"It's controlled inside the cells, all right. But not confined to his alone." The woman met my eyes. "Director Fury thought it would be a fascinating study to see what Jason would do to the other prisoners. And everyone inside these cells so far have lost their minds."

The thought of a possible lunatic with free reign to raze my mind _almost_ made me shudder in trepidation. Somewhere in a far cell, another cry from the Kree rose up in fervor, as if to emphasize the point.

"At any rate," she continued, watching my face. "I wouldn't worry about Jason. Thor will be here soon, right?"

She actually seemed concerned about me, the foolish bint. She glanced over at Jason, and my eyes followed hers.

The man had resumed his absurd crossed-leg position with his eyelids shut. A ghost of a smile cut across his mouth, making him appear mentally feral. C. Jinn shivered and looked away.

"What is your given name?" I asked, nodding to her nametag.

She grazed her hand over the tag, her face a mask of shock. She fumbled with it and hurriedly unpinned it from her breast. "Names have power. Speaking the name of someone can give you the ability to manipulate that person."

I simply stared at her. She was the first human I'd encountered in generations who understood that basic truth. Her esteem rose in my eyes, which is more than I can say for most of her kind.

She smiled and looked away, as if embarrassed. "I go on the Internet at night to research everyone who gets placed here. I had to wear my badge to come in. I should have taken it off."

"I can't do much without your full name," I lied.

"What I've read says otherwise." She met my eyes. "Knowledge is power, right?"

Wrong. What you do with said knowledge, now _that's_ power, but only if you choose correctly. "I am Loki."

"That's not your real name, or at least not your full one."

I managed a smile in spite of myself. "You're correct. It's not my full name, but it is the name I go by, and thus, there is power in it."

She seemed to absorb that. She nodded. "Since you can read English, you know my last name."

"Shall I call you C. Jinn?"

"Whatever."

"Nice to meet you, C. Jinn." I bowed slightly in perfect imitation of all those tiresome classes in etiquette that Frigga had forced me to take, despite my continuous protests.

C. Jinn didn't return the sentiment. Her eyes darted once more to Jason's holding cell before she scurried to the security door. A press of buttons and a swipe of that manmade card, and she was free of us.

My ears picked up the slight sound of shuffling coming from Jason's cell. The little man was staring at the space the female had just occupied. Then, his mismatched eyes drifted up to my face.

I held his gaze, waiting for the inevitable torrent of his mind to slice into mine, pulling me into the depths of his insanity. Sure enough, I felt a tickling sensation hovering at the edge of subconscious thought. I held his gaze and waited for the onslaught of his madness.

But it never came. Jason watched me for a moment, then nodded, ever so slightly. A grimace rested on his face right before he closed his eyes to once again resume his meditation.

I smiled. Any ordinary human who gazed into my thoughts would have enough to fuel ten lifetimes of nightmares. Jason was far from ordinary, but he was, in the end, merely human.

The Kree had grown quiet. I observed them until I pinpointed their leader. He was taller than the others, a common pattern in leadership among their kind. He gathered the other males in his cell around him, speaking their guttural language in quiet tones as he pointed to the door that C. Jinn had just used. As I watched them plan in words too low for me to eavesdrop, I saw a slow smile creep across Jason's face. The human opened his eyes and nodded to the leader who returned the gesture.

So, they were plotting an escape.

I hid a smile and turned for the unimaginative slab that served as my bed. As I stared up at the ceiling, I couldn't swallow my disgust that the imbeciles at S.H.I.E.L.D. gave a man like Jason free reign to torture whomever he pleased while refusing to grant me the same simple courtesy.

It truly was a travesty.


	3. Chapter 3- Cecelia

Thanks to everyone for reading! I'm currently in revision hell for a novel I'm working on, so this is a wonderful mental break. :-) Please feel free to leave any comments below. I love feedback, and I LOVE hearing from readers!

Enjoy!

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The time was 6:58AM according to Cecelia's watch. She trudged past the glass entrance of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and waited in line with the other agents at the first checkpoint. Day Two of having the God of Mischief and Lies caged in an underground vault. And under her daily supervision.

Cecelia showed her badge to the grim security guard. A trio of paperbacks were tucked under her arm, and they went into a machine that would soon make X-rays obsolete if Homeland Security ever got a whiff of the technology. She walked through the high-tech scanner and waited again for her books to clear. When she was given a curt nod by the woman behind the machine, she picked up the stack and continued on to the next checkpoint.

Five years of working for S.H.I.E.L.D., and her duties as an agent had brought her here —to the prisons beneath headquarters— where her talent was being wasted.

"You're mentally strong, but you're too young for field work." One of her supervisors, an Agent Ward, had said to her. As if graduating from college at twenty was now somehow a liability after being courted by Agent Coulson at her alma mater. "Plus, you don't exactly blend in, Agent Jinn."

Then, Ward had proceeded to ask her out, the arrogant prick.

No matter how hard she tried to be applauded for her brains over the years, the focus remained on her face. But Cecelia was determined not to let her superior officers get her down. Sooner or later, S.H.I.E.L.D. would realize the untapped potential they had in her. It was only a matter of time. Until then, she would deliver meals to the Kree and the occasional science textbook to Jason, and every day she swallowed her fear knowing that those encounters made her stronger.

Then she'd found out Loki would be the newest addition to her domain.

It was only temporary. Another two days at most. But after what he'd done to New York, the only thing she wanted to do was strangle the asshole. She'd spent the hours before her shift yesterday researching Norse mythology and magic, trying to come up with a way to outwit him, and finally gave up. Loki had a reputation, both in person and on paper, of being a master of strategy and manipulation. After all, the man wasn't called the God of Trickery for his good manners.

But she wasn't about to let him get inside her head. She reasoned that the only way to get an advantage over him was to kill him with kindness, and the bastard would go crazy trying to figure out what S.H.I.E.L.D. was up to.

Once inside the basement prison level, Cecelia locked up her personal belongings and headed straight for the meal pick-up room. It took five trips to hand out breakfast trays to all of her captives. She began with Jason, as always. The man stayed seated as he did every day, his eyes shut, refusing to acknowledge her offering.

With the Kree, she continued her habit of walking all the way to the far end and serving them first so she wouldn't have to double back. As usual, their primitive cries echoed through the invisible barrier, and she forced herself to suppress a shudder.

"Back so soon?" A beautiful tenor echoed through the chamber.

Loki.

"It's the beginning of my shift." She tried to keep her reply even but failed.

She walked back to the front where the last tray of food, Loki's tray, waited. It had to have been a good thirty minutes since the eggs had been cooked and placed on the plastic. She was sure the food was cold and barely palatable. Served him right. "Step back from the barrier, please."

"Why?" He gave her a charismatic grin. "You and I both know that the enchantment covers—"

She really wasn't in the mood. Especially after the snide looks from security at the books she'd brought for him. "Step _back_."

He met her glare, then took one step back, his lips curving up softly as he moved. "As you wish."

She placed the three paperbacks inside the slot first and shoved them through. When the items arrived on his side, Loki stepped forward and removed a book. His long fingers traced the length of the well-worn spine.

"What's this?"

"A beach read." She suppressed a smile. "It's a trilogy. The books were on the "Free" shelf at the library."

He frowned and flipped through the pages as he turned for the back of his cell, ignoring her.

"I figured you could use something lighter than Machiavelli, especially in here."

He sat on his cot and continued to scroll through the book, his frown deepening with each page turn. "What is this tripe?"

"Erotica."

He shot her a look of contempt. "Gods, please tell me you're joking."

"Nope." She was grinning now. She couldn't help it.

He glared at her from the back of his cell. "I wouldn't gift this pulp to the Asgardian poor as rectal wipes, let alone have it pass as quality literature."

"I never said it was quality. What you see is what you get. Next time, try browsing a bookstore before ripping apart a city." She keyed in the code and passed his tray of cafeteria food through the protective opening. "Here's your breakfast."

Cecelia hadn't remembered the last time she'd enjoyed messing with a prisoner so much. She looked up to give Loki one last pithy retort and instead found him standing right in front of her.

She hadn't even heard him move. She gasped and yanked her hand back through the opening to get away from the sinister gleam in his eyes, but stumbled. Out of sheer reflex, she steadied herself on the invisible barrier with the palms of her hands. It wasn't until the burn ripped through her flesh that she realized what she'd done.

She cried out, yanking her hands away from the pain. She swallowed her tears and saw Loki staring at her in shock.

"Your palm." His eyes were wide with incredulity.

She sucked in her breath as she cradled her hand against her chest. "I'll be _fine_. Thanks for caring."

"Your weakness means nothing to me. Look down at your hand."

She opened her palm. A strange symbol was etched in the center, glowing with a fierce gold light. She'd never seen it before. How in the hell had it appeared?

"Show me your hand," he whispered.

"Are you crazy? That freaking hurt!"

"You don't have to place it on the barrier, C." His voice was gentle, his gaze patronizing. "Just hold up your palm."

Cecelia held her hand up, wondering if Loki was close enough to actually see the golden mark.

"Closer, C. Jinn. Please."

The calm timbre of his voice as he uttered her name forced her feet to move toward him in spite of her instincts screaming at her to back away. She stepped only a foot from the barrier, her palm facing the invisible shield.

Loki seemed to hold his breath as he studied her hand. "Fehu." He spoke the word with reverence.

"Fehu? What the heck does that mean?"

His eyes bored into hers as his voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. _"Put your hand back on the barrier,_ _C. Jinn_."

Every muscle ached to obey his command, but she shook her head. "No."

"I can help you get rid of that mark." He nodded to her hand. "If you let me."

Her hand inched closer to the Asgardian barrier as he whispered her name again. Two inches away from pain, and yet she couldn't seem to stop herself. One inch…

"Cecelia!"

She gasped and yanked her hand back, curling it into a fist. Two armed guards rushed inside, weapons drawn.

"Cecelia? You okay?" The younger of the two men placed a protective hand on her shoulder.

She nodded, ignoring her discomfort. "I'm fine, Bryce. Really."

Agent Bryce Larsen glared at Loki. The agent's strong arms whipped his firearm until it was pointed in Loki's direction. "Did you hurt her, asshole?"

Loki smiled at him in return. His gaze moved to the woman. "So, your name is Cecelia?"

Cecelia paled.

"Stay with the prisoner," Bryce ordered the second man.

The second agent nodded.

"Come on, Cecelia." Bryce placed a protective hand on her back as he led her to the doors.

She yanked away from him in a flash of anger. "Do _not_ say my name!"

"Huh?" Bryce scratched his head. "What's the matter with you?"

Cecelia rolled her eyes and pushed past him to the exit. As she slid her badge through to lock, Loki's voice carried back to her.

"Remember what I said, Cecelia." Loki said softly. "I can help you."

She glanced back to see his sinister smile pursue her as she marched out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4- Loki

Thanks for reading! As always, reviews are much appreciated. :-)

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The golden-haired whelp never returned for my mid-day meal, or for my dinner, and I was forced to spend a restless night contemplating how she'd had the power to manipulate the enchantments holding me inside my prison. Something had wavered within the bonds of the barrier when Cecelia had touched it. I replayed the moment in my mind over and over again as I lay on my bed, allowing the occasional scream from a Kree to soothe my troubled thoughts. I held out hope that when she arrived the next morning, I would be able to use my powers of persuasion and force her into freeing me.

Instead, she predictably went to her superiors.

Not that I knew for sure she did this, but since one of them showed up at the time when I typically break my fast on the gruel that passes for food here on Midgard, I knew something was amiss.

Women. Honestly, would it kill them to keep their mouths shut _just once._

"Good morning, Loki."

I glanced over at the edge of my cell from my prone position. The balding middle-aged man in a pressed suit looked familiar, but then again, all aging males with pale skin and a depleting hairline look alike to me.

I stood and strolled to the invisible barrier that held me inside my cage, my hands clasped behind my back. I studied the man, as he studied me.

"Don't remember me, do you?" He asked in a soft tenor. He sounded like a teenage boy that had just recently gathered enough testosterone for manhood. Each syllable had a twinge of sardonic fervor. "I'm not surprised," he went on. "Thanks to you, our ship was destroyed by The Hulk. I did try to interrupt your escape plans with one of my own weapon designs, though. Did you like it?"

I leaned forward, examining the man further. A smile formed at the edges of my mouth, despite myself. "I _do_ remember you."

"I'm Agent Coulson." He returned my smile with the same chilly cynicism.

"Do you have a first name, Agent Coulson?"

"My friends called me Phil, but you can call me Agent Coulson."

This is what I love about humans: words and thoughts spill out of their mouths without a care as to their potential. Once spoken aloud, each word becomes a means of creative or destructive power in the right hands. And, oh, the power I could have over him now that he'd given his name if only I had full use of my magic.

I considered using his name to coerce him to touch the barrier. I'd find great delight in hearing him scream in agony, but not yet. I wasn't about to waste an opportunity for information I could put to good use.

"I remember _killing_ you," My words dripped with mocking fascination. "Now, how in the Nine Realms did you manage to escape Hel?"

"Wasn't a fan of hell, but I do enjoy the tropics." A crazed smile lit up his face. "Like Tahiti. A magical place."

Fantastic. My captor was infected with the same insanity that ran rampant in this pit.

"Are you hungry?" He nodded to the tray he held in his hand.

I simply stared at him.

"Yeah, I'm not a fan of the eggs myself." He stood in the same place Cecelia had occupied last night. "You want to know where Cecelia is, don't you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"She's been reassigned."

"Are you afraid of your precious agents actually showing me a bit of kindness?" I gestured to the rubbish she'd gifted me with yesterday.

He blinked, as if the thought had never occurred to him. "'Afraid' isn't the word I would choose. No one's afraid of you, Loki. Least of all me."

And they say _I'm_ the Father of Lies.

"Think of it more like guarding my people from you filling their heads with… suggestions."

Time to change the subject.

"The Kree are plotting an escape, _Phil Coulson_. Let me out."

The man fingered my food, as if I'd never spoken his name.

I frowned. All creatures respond to my commands once I have the power of their spoken names, at least partially. Only the dead and the gods themselves are immune.

"You'll have to do better than that, Loki." He stood and slid the covered tray through the minuscule opening. "You should at least try the bacon. Everything tastes better with bacon."

I swallowed a sigh of frustration. This is how it would be, then. If I couldn't get to Cecelia through direct contact, I'd at least try to get some answers. "Did she tell you about her hand?"

Coulson looked up, his eyes sharp as an Asgardian blade, his words soft as silk. "How did you do it Loki? How did you manage to burn that mark into her hand?"

I laughed. I couldn't help it. "And how could I have harmed her while trapped behind this aggravating facade?" I tapped the invisible shield with a forefinger, absorbing the electric shock that surged through my skin and into my veins, but pain has never bothered me. Much. "If I could reach through this enchantment of yours, I wouldn't bother wasting time hurting any of your precious _peons_ like Cecelia Jinn. I would simply escape."

"And how would you get out of this room?"

A slow grin spread across my face.

"I've seen your tricks, Loki—"

"Not all of them, I promise you."

Coulson moved to the door. The conversation was over. "Your magic is contained in here. And there's no way out, not until Thor comes back to take you to Asgard. But if you decide to tell me how you hurt Cecelia—"

"For the love of Chaos, you _are_ a simple-minded race, aren't you?" My fury boiled over into a hiss. "I did _not_ harm the girl."

Coulson nodded, but it wasn't an acknowledgement of agreement. His card opened the door and he was gone.

I turned back for my perch and planted myself down onto the cot. I was about to reabsorb myself in one of Cecelia's tawdry books, despite myself, when a deep voice entered my mind.

_Mortal men are weak. Pathetic to care so much about one female._

Jason. So, the man had finally decided to penetrate my thoughts after all.

I thought about speaking with him, but the only thing worse than chatting with an imbecile was chatting with one on the brink of madness.

_Her magic can free us._

I sat straight up. "What did you say?"

_Her magic. It's buried deep in her soul. Guarded. Even her defenses have defenses. But it's there… _

I lay back down with a smile. Cecelia Jinn was enchanted. Of course she was. The rune on her hand, the mark of Fehu, had burned when it touched the barrier, a barrier that contained magic. And magical enchantments, especially a powerful rune such as hers, could do wonders on an enchanted barrier.

How extraordinary.

Humans hadn't effectively used magic for so long that all its knowledge had been lost to them. I had been blinded by all of the feeble defects of their race that I had missed what was right in front of me. But the madman had seen it.

Now all I needed was a plan to get her back in here so that I could get plot my escape.


	5. Chapter 5- Loki

**Just an FYI- This section is where the "T" rating comes into play for a bit of violence.**

**Thanks so much for everyone who's following (and favorited!) this story! :-) **

**Knowing people are enjoying it is like Christmas morning to a writer. So thrilled you like it, and hope you like what's to come…**

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As it turned out, I needn't have bothered devising a scheme for getting Cecelia inside the room. Jason did it for me. Which was just as well, considering that it required no effort on my part. Humans have their uses.

The hour was late. All the lights were off, with the exception of my reading lamp. I was just finishing one of Cecelia Jinn's wretched books about various shades of grey when I heard a scream.

Cecelia's scream.

I stood in front of the barrier without conscious thought of how I'd made the trip from one side of my cage to the other. Every cell in my body vibrated with nervous energy, my magic aching to get out.

Another scream, this time closer. It sounded as if she was coming through the walkway leading to the security door. I glanced over at Jason, but the man sat in that ridiculous crossed-leg pose of his, eyes closed, mind open.

The Kree began to chant in low tones, their voices blending together in a melodic decree of anticipative violence. I had reservations at the thought of having those men unleashed. I had no fondness for Cecelia, but neither did I enjoy the prospect of those mindless barbarians tearing her to pieces.

At least not until she released me.

There was a flicker of green light by the main security door, and a male guard walked in dragging Cecelia behind him. She was dressed in a long black dress that highlighted her red-gold hair. She had done something to her face that made her look fairly attractive, especially for a human, but her feet tripped as she tried to maintain her balance in ridiculous shoes with long spikes supporting her weight from the heels.

But Cecelia wasn't the human that held my rapt attention. It was the male guard. His face was a vacant mask, and his eyes were transfixed points staring only at Jason. With a strength that belied his gangly limbs, he shoved Cecelia away. She fell to the concrete floor in a heap.

"Cecelia Jinn." I called out to her.

She turned, compelled by the sound of her name spoken with power, but there was far too little magic behind it thanks to the barrier. She turned to shout at the male guard. "Bryce… stop! Please!"

Bryce's badge was at the main breaker that housed the controls for our cages. His fingers pressed the buttons, and I felt the familiar tingle of magic begin to flow through my veins as the enchantments started to weaken. I grinned.

"Bryce!" She was on him now, using the entire weight of her petite frame to pull him away, but he pushed her off as if she were no more than an annoying dung fly come to buzz around his ear.

His badge slid through the final obstacle, and just like that all of the barriers stopped their incessant humming. Except mine. It looked like S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't taken any chances.

I remained trapped as the Kree screamed a cry of primal triumph. I glanced at Jason's cell, but the human was gone.

The energy of my barrier wavered, and I took a deep breath. Placing my hands against the painful surface, I summoned all of the magic I could muster through the agony.

"Put your hand on the barrier, Cecelia Jinn." I called out to her, gritting my teeth as the waves of torment hit.

She turned, frightened at the wave of Kree leaving their cells, but she managed to walk to me.

"That's it," I beckoned. _"_I can help you, but you must _put your hand on the barrier."_

She was cutting it dangerously close. The Kree were destroying everything in their path, but I could feel my magic grow stronger as blinding pain shot through my limbs. The shield wavered.

"_Now, Cecelia."_

Separated only by the barrier, she placed her hands against mine. I saw her rune light with energy right before the magical hold around my cell shattered into a thousand useless particles.

I was free.

Of course, so were the Kree and Jason, but my cares were not directed toward them. My only concern was how long it would take me to leave this festering prison. I wondered what Thor would say when he marched through S.H.I.E.L.D., hammer in hand, only to find me gone. I laughed out loud at the image.

The guard Cecelia had called Bryce was relieved of his miserable life seconds after I stepped over him. One of the Kree hoisted his body into the air right before tearing it apart. In his last breaths, Bryce had a look of incredulity on his face. I wondered, only briefly mind you, if the pitiful man had received a moment of clarity in those final wisps of his life about the havoc he was responsible for unleashing.

I didn't give his death any more thought, except to transform myself into his form. Just as well that I'd memorized his face before a Kree began to feast upon it.

Inelegant creatures.

I managed to grab his guard's badge before the brute ate it and walked toward the final door, one step closer to freedom. No matter what happened now, I was liberated. I stared down at the name on the badge and smiled. Thank you, Bryce T. Larsen.

Behind me, I could hear Cecelia's woeful cries as she pleaded for her life. I stopped and glanced over my shoulder. Her dress was torn, her shoes gone. Two of the Kree had apparently decided to have some fun with her before they ripped her to shreds.

I entertained the thought of helping her, and I'd promised, but freedom was a mere footfall away. Surely some of those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents would be here soon to offer assistance. They would also come in droves to incarcerate me, however, and there was no way I would risk going back inside my prison.

"Loki!"

She fought. You had to give her credit for that, and she fought valiantly. While she wasn't physically strong, she refused to surrender. Her courage was quite admirable in the face of inevitable defeat. She used her nails to scratch, her small fists finding what she believed to be a sensitive spot on the Kree. But with Jason's madness boiling through them, the Kree simply didn't have sensitive spots. She was soon thrown across the floor, her head slamming into the far wall.

I took another step away from her. I was halfway through the door. I could _taste_ my liberation.

Then, I thought about the rune on her hand.

I pivoted.

She lay on the cold floor, whimpering in a state of semi-consciousness. The Kree closed in, and I closed my eyes. The energy of my magic swelled inside me, filling my body until I practically glowed with it. A genuine smile spread across my face. Gods, it felt good. I allowed the power to stream through me, overflowing every cell, every atom, until I finally drove it out in a great rush of power.

I wonder if the Kree even knew what hit them. One moment they stood above their feminine prize, and the next they simply ceased to exist.

I blinked as I glanced around me. Anger, rage… that siren song of chaos. Call it what you will but it always makes my magic stronger. Just never quite _this_ strong. Any being that had been standing when the waist-level wave hit was now nothing but ash.

The lone Kree who'd been kneeling to feast on Bryce looked up from his trophy in shock. A forearm fell out of his gaping mouth.

I transported to him with the speed of thought. A S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued knife lay untouched against Bryce's hip. It was out of its sheath and in my hand slitting the Kree warrior's throat before the creature could even think about using it against me. I felt the Kree's life's blood pour from his veins and couldn't suppress my inner triumph. For over two thousand years I'd trained with Thor, fighting alongside him and my fellow Asgardians within the warrior culture they all so dearly prized. And gods help me, it felt good to hold a weapon once more, good to fight. It had been engrained in me since childhood, as much a part of my DNA now as the magic entwined within.

There was no movement after that. I looked around, but no Kree remained.

I still could not see Jason, but I was certain I hadn't killed him with that blast of power. Maybe he was meditating in some quiet corner outside of the cellblock, using his mental trickery to call in S.H.I.E.L.D. reinforcements just to see if I could fight them off. Insanity is far more dangerous than stupidity, especially for humans.

As I evaluated my current predicament, my mind began to assemble the beginnings of a plan, and a good one. All I needed was a bit of time as well as Cecelia. And if Jason ruined it, so help me, I would seize his feeble neck and take him down to Hel right along with me.

I walked to where Cecelia lay on the floor, undoing my cloak as I did so. She didn't move. Her body was limp, curled on one side, as if in sleep, albeit a bloodied one. I looked directly into the camera perched on the wall as I placed my colors around her.

It didn't take much of my magic to heal her, even with all the damage the Kree had done to her fragile form. Once she was whole, I picked her up easily. With the speed of thought and nothing left in that prison to contain my magic, she and I vanished from that wretched place. The last thing I did before we disappeared was to make sure my eyes remained fixed on the steady green light of the camera recording every minute image.


	6. Chapter 6- Thor

"What do you mean Loki's _gone_?"

Agent Coulson sighed. The god of thunder wasn't the most patient man, even if the best of circumstances. But now Thor fumed and paced the small room, gripping his magic hammer just tightly enough to make Coulson very nervous. "Thor?"

The Asgardian stopped and glared at him.

"One of our cameras recorded Loki's escape. Would you like to see the footage?"

Thor nodded, his muscular arms draped across his massive chest. His breath came in angry waves. It had been a calculated risk bringing him here, but he was the only one who could give S.H.E.I.L.D. some answers.

Coulson started the video a minute before Agent Bryce Larsen, God rest his loyal soul, had somehow been forced to bring a confused Agent Jinn into the secured cells. Even though both agents had been off-duty, Agent Larsen had worn both his badge and a dead expression on his usually animated face. He had somehow managed to bypass S.H.I.E.L.D. protocols to enter the cell area, and to smuggle in Cecelia Jinn. Coulson wondered, not for the first time, how many agents had been manipulated by Loki's magic last night.

Agent Jinn looked like she had planned for a fun night of dinner and dancing, not for the hell that awaited her inside that room. She had worn a black cocktail dress that flared as she struggled against Bryce, begging for her colleague to let her go.

Coulson turned his attention from the over-viewed footage and watched Thor for the duration of the video. The god of thunder stood stoic until the moment Loki undid his cape and placed it over Agent Jinn's body. Then, Thor began laughing. It vibrated from one side of the room to the other, a thing alive. The other agents in the room took cautious steps away from him, throwing nervous glances at one another.

"Something funny, Thor?" Coulson asked. "Because I have an army of dead Kree, a missing Senator's son who's just a tad bit mentally unstable, and an Asgardian, who believes he's the god of mischief, all running loose."

Thor simply smiled. "I take it you brought me here to find Loki."

"That would be nice. Oh, and while you're at it, maybe you could figure out how Cecelia Jinn plays into Loki's plans, assuming she's still alive."

"The woman?"

Coulson nodded.

Thor chuckled and shook his head. "She's alive. Do you and your agents a favor: leave her. She is under my brother's protection."

"She needs to be brought in for questioning if she can't come in on her own. Once she regains consciousness, she's the only person who can tell us what Loki's planning."

Thor stepped closer to Coulson causing every other agent in the room to back away. "You must leave her be."

God or not, Coulson wasn't about to be intimidated. "Oh? And why is that?"

Thor pointed to the frozen screen. "Did you see Loki drape his cloak around her?"

Coulson nodded. "So?"

"It's an Asgardian custom, passed to Earth, but one your people have long forgotten. When a warrior places his colors around a woman, he is placing her under his protection." He locked eyes with the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. "You take this woman from him, and it will be an affront to Loki."

"With all due respect to Asgardian culture, Cecelia is a human being with a mind of her own. Oh, and a top-secret security clearance. I don't care if Loki put a Tesseract ring on her finger and started serenading her with _That's Amore_, they need to be found and brought in."

"You risk my brother's wrath."

"Frankly, I don't care about your brother as long as he's put back in chains."

Thor stepped around Coulson and began to pace the room. Mjölnir tapped against one of his powerful thighs in an impatience cadence. "The fact that he placed his colors around her and healed her wounds shows he cares for her."

"That's where you're wrong. He cares about the rune on her hand. If you paid attention to the footage, you'll see he considered leaving her behind…"

"Rune?" Thor stopped. "What rune?"

Coulson sighed. "There's a mark on her hand. When she debriefed us after her last conversation with Loki, he said the word 'Fehu,' whatever that means."

Thor stood completely still. "I must find my brother."

"Glad we're on the same page. We'll have some agents come with you to track him…"

"No. It will be only me."

"I don't think you understand…"

Thor's proud chin jutted up as he took a menacing step toward Coulson. "No. It is you who do not understand. I will bring Loki back in chains, as he deserves, but the look he gave made it quite clear that he means to protect this woman. If your men come near him, his first response will be lethal force. I will not have any more human deaths on my conscience."

"And if _you_ come near _him_? What makes you think your presence will have a better outcome?"

"I know how to approach him."

"He could be anywhere."

Thor allowed a thin smile to cross his lips. "He could be. But he's not."


	7. Chapter 7- Cecelia

**Thank you to everyone for reviewing and following this story! It means the world to me, but means much more to someone like Loki, who absolutely insists on adoration. :-)**

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Cecelia was warm, almost too warm, but it was a welcome contrast against the frigid air that waited just outside the silken cloth wrapped around her body. She inhaled, and the sweet scent of pine needles assailed her senses. It was a smell that shouldn't be anywhere near her but was, and she panicked. Her eyes snapped open.

She was outside, lying on a dark cloak, its length wrapped around her from head to toe, shielding her body from the crisp autumn night. She glanced down. Her dress was torn, exposing part of her bra on the top and her upper thighs at the bottom thanks to the shredded hemline. Her pantyhose, what was left of it anyway, was ripped beyond repair.

Her last memories were of the Kree throwing her across the cement floor during her weak attempts to fight them. She rubbed her eyes to get the cobwebs of dark dreams out of her head, and when she opened them again, Loki sat a few feet away, staring at her.

"You're awake," he said.

Cecelia scrambled to a sitting position.

Loki sat on the cold earth, unmoving and unaffected by the damp chill. His deep blue eyes studied her for a long moment.

"You may want to cover herself. I'd hate for you to catch cold."

Cecelia looked down at the rags that remained of her dress and blushed at the free peep show she was giving him. With her free hand, she grabbed at the edge of the warm cloak and pulled it around herself.

"I will need that back at some point." He gave her a bemused smile.

Her eyes narrowed. "Where are we?"

"A place my brother and I used to frequent in mortal guise a thousand years ago." Loki looked away and out into the darkness. "Perhaps the only fond memories I have of my time with him."

Cecelia followed his gaze. They sat on the edge of a coniferous forest, their high hill overlooking the modest glow of a small village below them. A dark tributary sliced through the edges of the habitat, spilling over into a swollen fjord she could scarcely see in the distance.

Above her, the sky danced with color. She gasped at the swirls of bright green light that shimmered against the deep penetrating blackness. Loki's colors.

"The northern lights, your people call them," he said.

Cecelia nodded and forced herself to look directly at him. "Why are we here?"

"Why not?"

"Don't insult my intelligence, Loki. You brought me here for a reason, and it wasn't to reminisce about the good old days with Thor. I deserve to know why."

Loki stood and stared down at her, an amused smile on his face. "You deserve nothing." He gave a counterfeit sigh. "But I suppose since you're wearing my cloak, I might as well tell you."

Cecelia scrambled to her feet in defiance of his mockery, matching his stance, though her legs shook. When her knees almost failed her, she reached out for the nearest tree to stop her fall and found Loki's hands under her arms, steadying her.

"I'm fine." She glared up at him.

Loki smiled, removing his hands. She shivered at the loss of warmth, even if the hands _were_ his. It could be her imagination, but his gaze held a glimmer of respect as she stood to her full height. He moved his arm across the view below in a sweeping gesture. "This is Hesteyri. In Iceland. Magic is powerful here and has been for millennia."

"What the hell does that have to do with me?"

He glanced back at her, all respect now gone. "Please, Cecelia. Let's not waste one another's time, shall we? Time happens to be a commodity in short supply at the moment. Open your palm."

"No."

Before she could blink, her fist was nestled between his hands. His long fingers forced hers to bend to his will, though at least he wasn't hurting her. Yet.

When her hand opened to the night air, it was as if the northern lights themselves drifted down onto her hand, mingling with the marking. The rune on her palm began to glow, first reflecting the greenish flames of the air above them, then evolving into lighter shades until finally pure white light pierced the darkness surrounding them. Cecelia could only stare, her mouth agape, as her hand pulsed with energy.

Loki muttered words she didn't understand.

"What is that?" She whispered, staring down at her palm. "Fehu?"

"Silence. Don't speak unless you know what you are uttering. Every syllable of sound within a word has meaning and power, something you humans have chosen to forget."

She remained silent though it took a lot of willpower. Loki remained fixated on her hand, his fingertips brushing against the mark, his lips moving in guttural whispers of a language long since dead. As he spoke, the sounds seemed to vibrate with their own energy. Her hand pulsed with light in concert with the words Loki spoke.

"Loki…"

"_Silence."_

Her hand glowed with a feverish heat, moving through her body to warm her in a way that wasn't altogether unpleasant, but definitely made her frightened.

"Loki, please…"

His hand held onto hers tighter, and his voice grew stronger.

Images began to appear in the light from her rune, faint at first. Men that were too large to have ever existed, fields bathed in blood. A hawk that climbed through the air and landed on the arm of a handsome warrior standing with a spear in his hand. He captured the bird, and it grew in stature until its body almost eclipsed the human male holding onto it. Cecelia watched as the hawk became human and decidedly female, the man mating with her in a violent dizzying spiral of feathers and flesh. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched the bird finally free herself and nest, giving birth to a baby girl. The girl grew to hold a spear, her face obscured in white waves, until the girl turned to gaze right at Cecelia.

_The girl is me!_

It was too much —the cold of the night air surrounding her, the fever racing through her body, and the images pounding in her mind— and Cecelia's frail body had finally had enough. Her knees gave way, and she collapsed. The last thing she was aware of was Loki catching her before she tumbled to the hard ground.

When she opened her eyes, she woke up feeling warmer and well rested. Loki's cloak remained encircled around her body, but now she was encased between his powerful legs and arms. Why in the world was he holding her like this?

She tried to push away from him. Her hands strained against his chest, but it was useless. Like shoving against a granite wall.

"What are you doing?" His voice, soft and deep, resounded through the still night air.

"Trying to get away from you."

"All in good time, Cecelia."

At least he didn't have his arms wrapped around her. His hands remained in front of him, his forearms resting on his knees as he restlessly attended to something she couldn't see.

She collapsed and blinked back tears of frustration, her eyelashes catching on the edge of Loki's leather mail against her face.

"You're the daughter of a goddess." His words were without fanfare, as unforgiving as the chill.

She swallowed and was able to regain some precious moisture for her mouth. "What?"

An impatient pause, as if dealing with a dimwit. "Your mother is Freyja. You bear her mark on your hand." He stopped whatever he was doing, and his thumb rubbed against her palm. "Your mother's a whore, by the way. Not my favorite person."

If he was trying to offend her, he failed. Growing up in foster care had given her an iron core, leaving her impervious to cruelty. Well, almost. "If that's true, I've got to have siblings around somewhere. We could all form a support group at our next family reunion and bitch about how Mommy Dearest abandoned her children."

A smile. "Gods aren't mortal, Cecelia. Don't imagine them to act as humans would."

"You're not a _god_, Loki."

She felt the rumblings of a chuckle in his chest as his shoulders shrugged. "I am close enough."

She was too emotionally drained to argue the point. "Where's my mother now?"

"In Asgard."

"And my father?"

"Dead." He shook his head. "Why Freyja would choose to mate with a human male is beyond even my comprehension."

Why humans wanted to have sex with creatures like _him_ was beyond her comprehension as well, though in a place like this, the heat of his body was at least a welcome reprieve from the cold. Cecelia lay still and gave herself permission to absorb what warmth she could gain from him. It was unsettling to think about any part of Loki 's aspect mingling with hers, but at this point she felt too weak to care. If she sat still long enough, and if she truly was magical as he seemed to believe, maybe she could gather some reserves of his energy and go sit somewhere else even if she tripped the entire way and froze to death when she got there. She was about to try and do precisely that when she noticed the rhythmic movements of his hands in front of her.

She felt rather than saw that he was weaving something. After a few minutes, she forced her head up and watched the bound pine needles in his hands being manipulated into a small wreath. Every needle seemed to work in harmony with Loki's fingers, as if finding its identity in his purpose.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't reply, at least not to her question. "How much do humans know about rune markings?"

She shrugged, deciding to rest her head against him again, at least for a little while longer. Why was she so tired? "I googled information about runes after what happened that night, but I didn't find much. Most of the knowledge has been lost. Right after speaking with you, though, Coulson sent me to a debriefing room with a computer so I could add my experience into the archives. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll know as much as the ancients did."

"Archives…" His fingers finished their work. A perfect circle crafted from needles, sap, and pliable twigs from the living trees around them. "Interesting."

Loki turned slightly, his fingers gently opening the palm that held her rune.

"You need to sleep now, Cecelia Jinn." His voice was a caress.

She glared at him and tried to sit up, but exhaustion overwhelmed her. "I'm not tired."

"Yes, you are." He pressed the wreath against her palm. The needles encircled the rune, causing it to glow once again with a mystical energy she didn't understand. She felt life beneath every needle, every bendable twig. Each part of it had a voice, had meaning. If she strained to hear the words it wanted to tell her, she was certain she could.

Loki placed his free hand around her neck and lowered her onto a bed of dry needles. She fell against the weight of his arms, too tired to fight him, and not understanding why, but she allowed him to lay her down.

"I'll be needing this back now."

She felt his cloak leave her body, but the warmth remained.

"Time to rest now, Cecelia."

Her eyes felt so heavy. Maybe if she closed them, just for a minute…

She felt her body fly, not simply drift. And the colors surrounding her were so beautiful, so vivid, that it pierced her eyes to look at them. She was traveling away from Earth, she could feel it, and wherever she was going was a place of purpose, full of warmth and light.

"See you at the Well, my dear Cecelia." Loki's soft voice pierced through the fluid beauty of her dreams. "And thank you."


	8. Chapter 8- Thor

**Reviews! Loki **_**loves**_** reviews, but only if they're admiring.**

**Me? I love 'em all, so thanks for everyone that was kind enough to leave behind their thoughts. Glad you're enjoying the story, and hope you like what's to come. :-)**

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Lightning pierced the flames of the northern lights, and Cecelia looked up just in time to see Thor land three feet from her.

She gasped and pulled Loki's cloak closer around herself.

"Forgive me," Thor gave a bow and studied the young women standing in front of him. Her feet were bare, her stockings torn, and Loki's colors were wrapped tightly around her slender form. "Cecelia Jinn is your given name, yes?"

She nodded.

Thor looked around and his eyes settled on the village. A thick bawl of laughter escaped.

"Ah, Loki. Did you think nostalgia would be enough to gain your freedom?"

Cecelia went utterly still.

Thor turned to her. "Where is my brother?"

She wet her lips and shook her head. "I don't know. He and I talked for a while. He wanted to know about the mark on my hand, but then I got tired and when I woke up he was gone. He used magic to put me to sleep, I'm sure of it."

Thor nodded. "To keep you safe from harm. You're wearing his colors."

Her eyes went wide. "What?"

"Don't be alarmed. It was his way of making sure I came for him and not some human army." Thor held out his hand to her. "Are you ready to leave this place?"

She didn't take it. Her eyes met his in a gaze of uncertainty. "Where are we going?"

"Back to S.H.I.E.L.D., and then to your home, I would imagine. Agent Coulson would like to speak with you."

"Maybe Agent Coulson could wait until I'd at least taken a shower and changed out of my torn dress?"

Thor opened his mouth to speak, but a fierce rush of wind prevented it. He looked up and saw a giant black plane emerge from the sky above him.

Cecelia must have been just as impressed. Her eyes widened as she stared. The air around her whipped Loki's cloak open, exposing her dress torn up to mid-thigh but she didn't notice.

The plane landed on the plateau between the rolling hills of the forest and the village on the plain below. Its engines whined to a halt, and silence overtook the night air once again. When the cargo door to the plane opened, four agents in full armor peeled out, weapons drawn. Cecelia held the cloak tighter around her body.

"Enough!" Thor bellowed so loudly one of the guards actually dropped his weapon. "Your Cecelia is safe."

Agent Coulson walked down the rear gangway of the plane. He ordered the four agents to stand down and stepped out of the jet, turning his attention to Thor. "Where's Loki?"

"I do not know."

Coulson gazed at Cecelia, his eyes full of pity. "Did Loki hurt you?"

"No, I'm okay." She kept the cloak wrapped around her. "I'm not sure where he went though. He put some kind of weird… spell on me, and the next thing I knew, Thor was here."

"We'll get you settled and debrief you once we're back at HQ."

She nodded, wiping her nose with a fist that still clenched Loki's cape. "Okay."

Thor and Agent Coulson watched her ascend into the plane. The other agents gave her a wide berth as they followed her inside, as if by merely being in Loki's company had somehow made her tainted.

"She's a strong kid." Agent Coulson tilted his chin in Cecelia's direction.

"Are you not going to ask her about my brother's whereabouts?"

"Do you think she knows?"

Thor shook his head. "From what she told me, Loki concealed it from her for her protection."

"You and I will have to agree to disagree on that point." Coulson stared at the now empty gangway. "Something happened between them, and I'm going to find out."

"I would advise you not to touch her. I know not why my brother left her here to fend for herself, but I know he has his reasons for doing so."

"She's not going to be hurt. Not by us, anyway." Agent Coulson tilted his head in the direction of the forest. "My agents will check around, see if he's still here."

"As will I." Thor moved toward the woods.

Agent Coulson watched the god of thunder jog into the woods. Six agents moved right behind him in pairs, each with his weapon at the ready in case the god of mischief lived up to his name.

Fifteen minutes later, Agent Coulson called off his agents, anxious to get Cecelia back to Headquarters for debriefing. All of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents returned to the jet.

Thor stayed behind. He gazed up at the heavens as the black plane sped away, leaving him to hunt for his brother alone.

"Loki," Thor mused to himself. "Where can you be hiding?"


	9. Chapter 9- Coulson

**Wow, thanks so much for the reviews and greetings to those who've begun following Loki over the last few days.**

**He's about to make things interesting…**

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"Remember this room, Agent Jinn?"

Agent Phil Coulson watched as Cecelia Jinn looked around her. She nodded curtly.

Agent Coulson stood over his agent as she sat at the metal table, taking in the familiar space. He'd allowed her to change into a spare jumper inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet, but not to return home to change into her own clothes. With Loki on the loose, too many lives were at stake for them to waste precious time. Agent Jinn needed to be debriefed immediately.

It didn't escape Coulson's notice, however, that she kept Loki's cloak wrapped around her, even after she'd changed out of her torn clothes.

"I'm going to pull up the archive on all the information we have on Asgard." Coulson began to type on his laptop. "We already have more knowledge about runes and the basis for rune magic thanks to what you shared with us yesterday."

Cecelia nodded again. "Were you able to find out anything else about the mark on my hand?"

Agent Coulson walked around the table, turning his computer so Cecelia could see the screen. "The word Loki said, 'Fehu,' is the word for the rune imprinted on your palm. A goddess named Freyja is said to inhabit the symbol."

Cecelia shuddered. "Loki said I was…. her daughter, that my mother is the goddess."

"Loki is a liar. It's more probable that he put that mark on you somehow so you would feel some sort of kinship with him to gain your trust." Agent Coulson studied Cecelia's grip on the cloak around her. "Can I have Loki's cape, please?"

She pulled it tighter around herself and shook her head.

Agent Coulson pulled out a chair and sat opposite her, his elbows propped on the table in front of them. "What happened out there, Agent Jinn?"

She looked away. "Nothing."

Coulson studied his underling, compassion on his face. "Cecelia?"

Her eyes focused on his.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No."

"Did he… violate you?"

"Definitely _not_."

He shot her a sheepish grin. "Had to ask. Sorry."

"Nothing happened, Agent Coulson. He said that the spot he picked was a place he and Thor went to when they were younger. One minute I was awake and listening to him rant in a foreign language, and the next I was asleep."

"And you're _sure_ he didn't violate you?"

She shot him a look of disgust.

"You should know, we brought you here for more than a simple debriefing." Coulson stepped to one of two locked cases resting on the table. "A few hours ago, agents in our stored artifacts division discovered something very interesting."

Cecelia blinked. "Oh?"

Agent Coulson opened the box and inside were three smooth stones. Each of them had a crude but purposeful mark on the surface.

"Over the years, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s only managed to obtain three of the twenty-four rune stones," he said. "But there's more of them, scattered throughout the Earth. And twenty-four hours ago, they started emitting a strange pulse."

She stared at the stones, her eyes transfixed. "Do you have any idea what Loki could do with these, Agent Coulson?"

"Loki will never get near them. Each one has a thread of specific magic attached to it." He nodded to her. "Your rune is the mark of strength. Probably why it was able to break through the Asgardian technology we had around Loki's cell."

She licked her lips, her eyes locked on the stones.

"We have Thor scouring the Icelandic countryside for Loki now. He won't get far."

She simply stared at him. "If Loki wanted to get inside S.H.I.E.L.D., he could do it easily."

"You think so?"

She shrugged. "He's a master of deception." She looked around at the men standing watch. "Your guards took a long time searching in the woods for him. Are you sure he's not masquerading as one of them now?" Cecelia's gaze turned to the armed guards around her.

Agent Coulson felt the blood drain from his face. He turned to the four agents inside the narrow space and swallowed his fear. "Out. All of you."

Without a word, the men exited the room. Coulson leaned forward, placing his palms out on the table in front of Cecelia. "You and Loki seemed to have hit it off."

"I wouldn't go _that_ far."

"Do you really think he would follow you all the way back to where he'd been imprisoned?"

"I wouldn't put anything past him."

"Agent Jinn?" Coulson's voice was no longer empathetic.

She bit her lip and stared up at her superior.

"You know where Loki is, don't you?"

She shifted, as if in discomfort. "Yes."

"We're not going to kill him, I promise. But he does need to stand trial in Asgard for the thousands of people he killed."

Cecelia stood up slowly, still clinching the cloak around her body.

"Help us, Cecelia. We need to find him."

Her lips curved into a perfect smile, and Cecelia began to… flicker and _change_ right in front of him. "My dear, Phil Coulson." Cecelia voice deepened into a soft tenor. _"You already have."_


	10. Chapter 10- Loki

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The smile on my face grew in direct proportion to the sheer panic on Agent Coulson's. It was a thing of beauty.

Cecelia Jinn dissolved before the pleading fool's widening eyes, and my true form appeared in front of him. I flipped the long table that stood between us and threw it at Coulson, trapping him against the wall. He grunted as the weight of the metal slammed into his ribs.

I could hear the squawks of his little army coming to the door. I flicked a spell at the lock, and it remained closed.

"It seems you and I are back where we started. Perhaps this time I'll allow you to live." I reattached my cape, taking my time walking toward him. "Now, tell me how to extract information from your archives."

I could smell his fear, but he hid it well. "What did you do with Agent Jinn?"

I shot him a look of mock surprise. "I whisked her away to our honeymoon, naturally. Didn't my brother tell you all about Asgardian customs relating to the giving of our colors?"

Coulson grunted. "You and I both know you care nothing for her."

"That's where you're wrong. I care very much because, at the moment, she's quite useful to me."

"And when she stops being useful?"

I shrugged. "I shall throw her back, I suppose. Like an unwanted trout during a fishing expedition."

"You're going to kill her."

I chuckled. "I have no great fondness for your Cecelia Jinn, but I also have no desire for her death."

"That's right. I forgot. You hate unnecessary violence." Coulson voice dripped sarcasm, the last protest of a doomed man. "That's why you destroyed an entire city full of innocent people?"

"That kind of violence is _always_ necessary." I took a menacing step toward him, my throat tight with anger. "Don't deceive yourself, you miserable git. Wars for domination are fought every hour on your paltry planet—"

"Too bad you're always on the losing side."

I thought about killing him again. I really did. But it would be a waste of my time, and time was the one commodity I had in short supply at the moment. "Where are your archives on the runes? Surely you must have some idea where the rest of them are?"

"Go to hell, Loki."

I shook my head and walked to where the locked cases had fallen. As soon as I retrieved them from the floor, I could feel the power inside. I smiled and used a brief burst of pure energy to open the seal.

Several pieces of Asgardian history lay nestled in the depths. Three of them were runes. It certainly would have been advantageous to possess all twenty-four, but there was enough here for my purposes. One was the Othalan, the All-Father. The other two were Ingwaz and Laguz. I couldn't suppress my grin.

Perfect.

"The Avengers will come for you," Coulson whispered, the pressure of the table slowly draining his life.

"Please." I practically snorted with contempt. "You humans put too much faith in your super heroes. One day it will be the end of you."

I opened the next case and laughed. My dagger lay nestled next to Draupnir, a golden ring made by the dwarves and full of magical properties, not the least of which is creating eight more just like it every ninth night. I considered leaving the ring behind. Pretty trinkets, even magical ones, have never held much sway with me.

Still…

I scooped both up in my hand, feeling their combined power.

"Thor will be here soon," Coulson gasped. "He has orders…"

Coulson's breath was starting to come in strained rasps. It was the sound of a dying man. I knew it well. "My brother doesn't respond kindly to orders. If you'd stop treating him as one of your human pets, I'd no doubt be back in my cage."

"Where's… Cecelia?"

"Someplace where you cannot reach her, but do not fret." I opened my palm, showing him the stones. "Because of you, I have no need to sacrifice her, or even to glance inside your beloved archives." I smiled. "At least not today."

"You're… nothing more than… a thief."

"A thief?" I studied him for a moment, then shoved the table off of him. Coulson's body crumpled to the floor. I bent down until he was inches from my face. "This isn't thievery, Agent Coulson. This is a trade. Asgardian artifacts for your wretched life."

I stood as the security door began to open. "And I received the better end of the deal."

There was a burst as the door flung open and a shout as guards rushed through to contain me.

But by then, I was already gone.


	11. Chapter 11- Cecelia

**Welcome, new followers! I hope you're enjoying Loki's tale. He very much wanted it to get out, though he will be as surprised by this section as you.**

**Before we begin, I wanted to thank my wonderful husband for his help with this chapter and the next. Poetry, especially the rhyming kind, isn't my strong suit, but apparently my husband was an Oracle himself in a past life… :-)**

**P.S. The spacing keeps coming out a little weird. I've added quotes to Mimir's words to clarify things. Hopefully, it will help.**

**Cheers!**

-0-0-0-

Cecelia Jinn opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by unending darkness.

She scrambled to her feet, relieved to find that her strength had returned. She stood on some kind of precipice, the stones beneath her so black that she couldn't see them.

But she was alive.

She gazed around her, forcing herself to get her bearings so she could figure out what the hell she was doing here.

Wherever "here" was.

"_Look up, Cee Jinn."_

She had no idea where the voice came from, but it vibrated through her mind, penetrating through her apprehension. She glanced up and sucked in a shaky breath.

Above her were layers upon layers of stars, galaxies of them. Each overlaying band and swirl of glimmering brightness was alight with vibrant colors, some of which she'd never seen before and couldn't possibly describe. She'd never seen anything so beautiful, so all-consuming. It made her feel complete, a perfect part of something far bigger than herself. And yet utterly insignificant.

"_Come closer, Cee Jinn. Come to me."_

"Why are you calling me that?" She stared above her, feeling ridiculous for speaking to a cluster of stars in the sky, but she had no idea where else the voice could be coming from. "My name is Cecelia."

"_That is your human name,_

"_The name that is your past_

"_But I deal in the future_

"_Of things that come to pass."_

She blinked away the images of the galaxies above, and looked to her right. A stone sphere appeared in front of her. It seemed to rest in the center of whatever invisible platform she was standing on. She took a step toward it, her eyes taking in the silver glitter of each perfect etch of masonry from its foundation to the top. It wasn't until she reached the edge that she realized she was standing at a well.

Isn't this where Loki had said he'd see her? At a well?

"Where am I?" she asked.

"_My name is Mimir_

"_And my powers are here,_

"_Stolen by a jealous king_

"_Who always keeps me near."_

A face appeared in the perfect stillness of the black waters. A masculine face that looked oh-so human. Mimir's eyes opened, and Cecelia gazed into its depths. She found nothing but wisdom. And a hint of unbridled curiosity.

"Am I the first human you've ever met?" If this watering hole, or whatever he might really be, was making the attempt to communicate, she might as well continue the conversation. Even if she did feel a little ridiculous.

"_Humanity, with its frailty, _

"_A vapor in the mist,_

"_You are the first, though not the last_

"_To wonder at my gifts." _

She shivered, even though she didn't feel the least bit cold. "Why am I here?"

"_Didn't the god of tricks and lies_

"_Explain why you're before my sight?"_

She shook her head. "No, and why do you speak like that anyway?"

The voice chuckled.

"_I am an Oracle, my dear_

"_Would you like to know your future here?"_

"Not really." She glanced around her with a soft grunt, rubbing her upper arms. "My guess is that Loki's going to kill me after I've outlived my usefulness. Isn't that right?"

She certainly wouldn't put it past the Asgardian prince. She loosened her grip on the edge of the well, her eyes darting around her for a weapon she might use to defend herself whenever Loki made his way here, and then the waters began to ripple from the center of the face. Each wave moved with an unnatural slowness until it found its home at the outer edge of the stones. When the last ripple faded, Mimir began to speak:

"_Daughter of a captured goddess_

"_Wandering through time_

"_Born to die, and born again_

"_As all half-breeds of your kind_

"_But you asked a question, and_

"_I'll tell you what I know:_

"_Your future lies in Asgard's halls_

"_Wearing a maiden's cloak_

"_Loki's tricks may gain him a crown_

"_But its tips dull in this life_

"_When the god of tricks is tricked himself_

"_Into making you his wife!"_

Cecelia gasped. Her fingers released their hold on the edge of the well, and she stepped back in shock.

The waters went still.

It took her a minute to regroup, but she managed to choke out a question. "What did you say?"

"_Was I not clear?_

"_Did you not hear?__"_

Her breath was coming in short bursts, and tears of disbelief formed at the corners of her vision.

Mimir continued another archaic line in his singsong fashion, but she could no longer hear him. Her ears rang with the voices of the thousand stars above her, each pulsing with promise, but now she felt no connection to them anymore. Her life, filled with all the dreams and goals she'd nourished in the secret places of her heart for over two decades, had shriveled into hollow husks.

"I'm going to… _marry_ Loki." Just saying the words brought bitter bile to her throat. It couldn't be true. She wouldn't _ever_ consent. She was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She had a life to lead on Earth, dammit. A life that didn't involve Loki: a career to maintain, relationships to explore, and one day even children to have if she was lucky enough. _None of it_ was tied to the god of mischief.

"No." She said the word with such force, she wondered that the declaration didn't come alive and ripple through the waters of Mimir's Well.

"_Yes."_

His answer was resolute. Solid. And in Mimir's utterance of that one syllable, it was as if something… shifted in the air around her, traveling from the depths and reverberating into the universe itself like a binding oath. She glanced up at the brilliant worlds above her, and a tear fell from her cheek as the stars shone down in a glittering dance of mockery.


	12. Chapter 12- Loki

**Do you wonder what the god of mischief will make of Mimir's foretelling?**

**So do I… :-)**

-0-0-0-0-

By the time I arrived at the Well of Mimir, Cecelia was standing as far from the depth of the waters as she could physically manage, a look of cowed horror on her face.

Had the Oracle already spoken to her? If he'd frightened her with some brutally honest prophecy about my true nature, it would make her trusting me that much harder. And I needed her trust for this to work.

"Cecelia?" I called to her in a voice of gentle reassurance. Even I was impressed by my verbal facade.

She glanced up at me, eyes as wide as a heifer cornered by wolves.

"Did Mimir speak to you?" I asked.

She nodded.

I chuckled and risked a step toward her. "Do not fear me. Oracles lie."

"_Though futures may be hard to scry_,

"_Oracles can never lie."_

I marched to the edge of the Well and leaned in. "Not outright, you simmering halfwit, but you lie by omission, twisting words in rhythm and in verse." I wanted to spit into his face, but didn't dare contaminate the waters. "What did you say to her?"

Mimir shimmered over the black water, and his face finally appeared in the depths.

"_Only truth in plainest dress;_

"_Nothing more, nothing less."_

I cursed his long-dead mother in his native tongue, and the waters rippled out in an angry wave.

I held out a hand to Cecelia. "Come. I promise I won't hurt you, no matter what this vile creature has said."

She pursed her lips and walked toward me. "He never said you'd hurt me."

"Well, he told that much truth at least." I smiled at her. "Do you remember the words he spoke?"

She shook her head, her eyes fixed on a point somewhere out in the darkness of this timeless Realm.

I contained my frustration and leaned over the well. "Mimir. I have come for to know what the future holds for me."

"_No words of wisdom for you, Trickster._

"_No visions to foretell._

"_There is nothing here that you'll receive_

"_Standing at my Well."_

"But I have a rune stone," I replied with mock protest. "Surely, you can give me a foretelling with the power of a rune?"

The Oracle sneered.

"_Where is your sacrifice, little god?_

"_Where is life's blood to spill?_

"_Your future love will not be pleased,_

"_Nor give it of her own free will."_

I stared at the girl in shocked silence as Mimir's last line echoed through my thoughts I was desperate to collect my wits.

"He said we were going to be married," Cecelia whispered in terror.

I tried not to be offended by the disgust on her face. "That," I replied with perfect certainly, "Will never happen."

She looked relieved. "Thank God."

"Gods," I corrected with a smile. I held out my hand once more. "Come. I have use of you."

She took a step back. One more step and she might tumble into Svartalfheim, the Realm of the Dark Elves, and I had no desire to follow her there.

"Cecelia, please. I… _need_ you." How I _despised_ uttering that word.

With hesitant steps, she came toward me, close enough to touch.

I pulled out my dagger and sliced into my palm, where all runes are cast.

She gaped at me in horror. "What are you doing?"

I shot her a look that silenced her instantly. "Do not fear, Cecelia Jinn. A sacrifice is needed for a foretelling, and I assume you would prefer my life's blood over yours."

She closed her hands into fists against her chest and nodded.

With blood cascading down my hand, I pulled out the runes I'd taken from S.H.I.E.L.D. I placed the Ingwaz rune stone, filled with the actualization for potential, to the East where things begin. The Laguz rune, symbol of Unknown, went to the West, to mark Endings. The All-Father rune was placed at the North point. Each one sealed in my blood.

Mimir tsked.

"_Alas, four rune stones must be sought_

"_To make a circle of knowledge whole._

"_And while you may have three Stones here,_

"_That's not enough to know."_

Must _every word_ out of an Oracle's mouth reek of poetic verse? I snarled and turned, holding out my hand to Cecelia. She wouldn't take it, perhaps offended by my blood.

It took an effort of will not to snap at her. "I won't hurt you. All I need is for you to place your palm here." I pointed to the center of the south. "Your rune is the mark of strength. And because you are mortal, it is the symbol of the one. Three is the number of the gods. Four is the number of completion, and I must have a complete circle."

"What happens then?"

"Then," I nodded to the depths of Mimir's Well with a sneer. "This insolent cur will be forced to reveal my future."

I took her hand, pressing my wound against the flat of the palm that held the rune mark. She flinched at the firmness of my grip. I placed her hand on the center of the southern edge of the Well. She stood transfixed as the entire face began to glow with light. The brightness highlighted the wonder on her face and in her light eyes, making her appear quite attractive for a human.

I held my palm over the center of the deep waters and watched as four large drops of my blood fell, one by one, into the pool. The ripples spread until they touched the silver edges. Then, finally, the Oracle began to speak in my native tongue:

"_Walk alone without remorse_

"_Upon a bridge of skein_

"_Darkness falls on Midgard_

"_Held back for a time."_

I grit my teeth in frustration. I cared not a wit for what happened in Midgard, so why did Mimir bother speaking about it? Midgard and the things within were my past. Nothing on Earth was connected to my future.

"_Stood for trial but spared from death_

"_Forced into Asgard holding_

"_Time drains away until_

"_Evil begins unfolding."_

The wonderful thing about prophecies is that they are meant for the hearer's ears alone. Mimir spoke in the Asgardian tongue. Cecelia's forehead wrinkled in concentration as the verses fell, as if she could somehow sort out the intricacies of what she was hearing by a sheer act of human will.

"_Yggadrisil's branches weep as_

"_Darkness feasts amongst its halls_

"_Blood and strife cover its limbs_

"_As she with golden hair will fall."_

I glanced over at my golden-haired companion. So, Cecelia Jinn would die. Who else could it be?

How unfortunate for Cecelia, but then humans have such a short lifespan, what did it matter?

"_Tears shall not be shed, for while_

"_Odin sleeps, yet none shall see;_

"_Woe be Realm of Asgard_

"_For thine king is Trickery!"_

But fortune smiled upon me. I would gain Odin's throne. And that was well worth the price of an Asgardian prison sentence, even if I had to wait a thousand years for it to happen. Patience wasn't in my nature, but Asgard was my birthright, not Earth, and I would take it.

Cecelia stared up at me in confusion, her palm still cemented to the side of the Well. I lifted her hand gently by the wrist, my wound already healed thanks to the magic in this place, and the light disappeared. One by one, I gathered up the runes and placed them inside her quivering palm.

Her gaze changed from confusion to quizzical skepticism. "Why are you giving me these?"

"Why not? I no longer have any use for them." I nodded to the stones in her hand. "They are yours now. Perhaps, in time, you'll gain enough knowledge to understand their true power."

She glared. "And if I don't want to?"

I shrugged. "Do with them as you will. It is of no consequence to me."

She tightened her fist around the stones and nodded to Mimir. "What happens now?"

"Now, you take me back to S.H.I.E.L.D. so I can face Asgardian justice."

She studied me, an eyebrow arched. "What's the catch?"

"I don't understand what you mean."

"You want me to just return you to captivity after everything you went through to escape? Just like that?"

"Yes." I grinned. "Do you suspect deceit?"

"From you? Hell, yes."

Nothing the whelp could say would sullen my mood. "I will transport us to your country on Earth. From there, you will be able to contact your superiors at S.H.I.E.L.D. Is this not satisfactory?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't trust you, Loki."

My grin widened as I pulled her against me for our trip back to Midgard. "And that, my dear Cecelia Jinn, makes you wiser than all of the gods in Asgard."


	13. Epilogue- Loki

**Thank you so much for reading. **

**Part 1 is almost over, but I've been getting some work done on Part 2. Sadly, I leave tomorrow for a week without WiFi [sob], but I hope to begin posting Part 2 in February. Look for it under "Thor," as it will take place after the events of "Thor: The Dark World," or you can click to follow me as an author. I'm sorry I don't have a title for the second part to this story yet. I'll think of one before I post Cecelia's Epilogue!**

**P.S. There **_**will**_** be romance between Loki and "Cecelia" in Part 2. I promise. :-)**

-0-0-0-

Once we returned to Earth, Cecelia didn't hesitate. She predictably called Agent Coulson and a score of incompetent S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to come and retrieve me. I stood next to her, my supposed future consort, as meekly as I could manage as I waited for some semblance of a powerless human army to come and wrap me back in chains.

But it was Thor who arrived, with two of his new Avenger companions along for good measure. That ridiculous motley-dressed American soldier and the green beast in human form, though without his giant demure, I was far from impressed.

And that's how I came to be standing next to my oaf of a brother on a bridge outside of Manhattan with the entire team of Avengers staring at me with identical looks of smug satisfaction on their faces. An enchanted Asgardian mouthpiece forced me to silence so that I couldn't use my powers of persuasion to utter someone's name and gain my freedom for a second time.

But it _did_ help to hide my smile.

I raised the chamber that housed the Tesseract, and Thor's meaty hand grabbed onto the ring on the other side, completing the link. The Bifrost opened, and my brother and I were on our way.

Another cell awaited me in Asgard, but this time, I had the knowledge of my impending freedom. And then, finally, a throne.

It's not knowledge that is powerful. It's what you do with knowledge that's important.

I may have mentioned that.


	14. Epilogue- Cecelia

**Thank you for all the kind reviews and for following "Three Days Until Dawn!" This is the last "chapter" of the story, and I hope you've enjoyed it. Loki didn't want anyone to think he'd gone meekly to his prison. **

**The second part of this storyline will be placed under "Thor" and is tentatively titled "The Darkest Hours." It will be rated "M", and I hope to post the first chapter soon.**

**Thanks again for reading! :-)**

-0-0-0-

Cecelia stifled a yawn as she turned the key into the deadbolt of her one-bedroom apartment. It had been a long day. Or maybe it had been two days? Since she'd been stuck next to a talking well in outer space, who the heck knew how much time had passed, but at least she was home now.

She opened her door and gave a sigh of contentment at being finally being somewhere safe. She kicked off her shoes and switched on the light for the living room, dropping her coat onto the couch before following its example and plopping down herself. Her mind was too unsettled to even think about sleep.

Had she _really_ been given a shitty fortune by a rhyming well?

In her wildest dreams, she never could've imagined all of the events that had transpired in the past three days. She shook her head, wishing for the millionth time that she was the type to stash liquor in the cabinets for moments like these.

At least Loki was gone now. While she hadn't gone to Manhattan to watch him leave, she'd heard all about it. The god of mischief was now her past, thank God. Though why he'd wanted to take a field trip to Iceland and then to a well in the middle of deep space when he could've simply used his magic to take over Earth, she'd never know. She'd never understand men as long as she lived. Supposed gods even less so.

She rubbed her neck and decided a hot shower might not be such a bad idea. It might even make her drowsy enough for sleep. She got up from the couch, and headed into her bedroom. Her eyes drifted over the neatly made bed, the sparse items on her dresser, and finally to her nightstand before her gaze locked on its surface.

The top of the nightstand had been completely bare the last time she'd left her apartment before Loki's escape, but now one single item rested on its surface.

It was the golden ring of Draupnir.

(END OF PART 1: THREE DAYS UNTIL DAWN)


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